TCU to host webinars on college financing

The U.S. Department of Education in June amended its Federal Student Aid Handbook and, according to a report by National Public Radio, is also making it harder for colleges to reconsider — and possibly increase — financial aid for students who have lost jobs or family income in the current economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.

How to make sense of it all?

Enter Travis Credit Union, which invites students in grades 8 to 12 and their families to attend any one of three upcoming Zoom webinars focused on college financing.

The free webinars, two at 4 p.m. Wednesday and Oct. 21, are timed to coincide with the release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for the 2021-2022 school year.

Co-hosted by Sallie Mae, the publicly traded U.S. corporation that provides consumer banking, the Wednesday webinar will focus on the types of student aid and how to apply for scholarships.

To register, visit https://traviscu.zoom.us/webinar/register/3516008221970/ W N_sHsdGAoAQ g- BptTyu72TDg.

The Oct. 21 webinar will cover federal and private loans, how to apply and strategies to reduce debt.

To register, visit https://traviscu.zoom.us/webinar/ register/9116008222350/W N_pf A _ MqM5R NWXjJ8R-qU-Tg.

Also, at 4 p.m. Oct. 14, TCU and the California Student Aid Commission will host the third event, a college-financing webinar in Spanish.

To register, visit https:// traviscu.zoom.us/webinar/ register/9116008222350/ W N_pf A _ MqM5R NWXjJ8R-qU-Tg.

Travis Credit Union and various community partners will continue to host monthly financial aid webinars through January 2021, Sherry Cordonnier, a spokeswoman for the webinars, said in a press release.

Once the schedules are confirmed, registration will be available at traviscu.org/webinars. All live sessions will be recorded and available on- demand, she added in the prepared statement.